Known as the deepest diving mammal on earth, Cuvier’s Beaked Whales are unique cetaceans found in waters over 3000 ft deep and around the globe, but particularly in the Eastern Tropics. Imagine my surprise to find one on a remote west coast beach on Flores Island in Clayoquot Sound!
Initially, the report came to me through a Facebook post. A hiker had reported a stranded killer whale at Cow Bay on the Wildside Trail. I called in a huge favour from my then-new boyfriend, Lennie and asked him to drop me off at the beach. As a trade-off he could go fishing while he waited!
As soon as I reached the carcass I knew it was NOT an orca. The rostrum (nose) and dorsal fin told me it was not an orca and despite having never seen a beaked whale in person, I knew that’s what this had to be!
I extensively photographed the carcass and contacted Ken Balcomb upon returning home. A collective group of marine biologists confirmed through the images that it was a 22ft long female Cuvier’s Beaked Whale.
A large amount of decomposition and feeding had already occurred. Eagles had to be scared off the site to visit it and wolf tracks could clearly be seen in the sand. There was a large amount of media about this event and interestingly enough – a similar stranding of another Cuvier’s beaked whale in Haida Gwaii around the same time.
To see the media footage click on the following links:
CBC
Metropolis News
Globe and Mail – Video (Info on Haida Gwaii and Ahousaht Strandings)
I visited this area 15 months after the carcass was initially found, and as expected there was no sign of it. I was hoping to find some bones in the dunes at the top of the beach but it has likely been buried by the shifting sands.
Despite being deceased and decomposed, this individual touched me deeply – Being so far away from it’s home waters when it came to it’s final resting place – It still provided a great resource for local wildlife in a never-ending circle of life.
-Marcie
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